The storm system that produced deadly tornadoes this past week,including the one that leveled Moore, Okla., is expected to causebetween $2 billion and $5 billion in insured property losses,according to catastrophe modeler Eqecat.

The Moore tornado caused the bulk of the expected losses, Eqecatsays, destroying approximately 13,000 structures.

Jim Camoriano, spokesman for State Farm, says the insurer has,as of 11 a.m. Eastern, already received about 6,700 claims inOklahoma from storm and tornado activity occuring between May19-May 21. Most of those claims come from Moore. He says 4,200 areauto claims, while 2,500 are property — mostly homeownersclaims.

State Farm, according to SNL Financial data, is the largestinsurer by market share in Oklahoma for catastrophe risk. SNLdefines catastrophe risk as allied lines (excluding crop andflood), commercial auto physical damage, commercial multiple peril(non-liability), farmowners multiple peril, fire, homeownersmultiple peril, inland marine and private passenger auto physicaldamage.

Mark Toohey, a spokesman for Farmers Insurance Group — thesecond largest insurer by market share in Oklahoma according to SNL— says the insurer has received about 1,900 claims in Moore aloneso far, noting that the number is fluid and more claims will likelycome in. Of that figure, he says about 65 percent are propertyclaims and 35 percent auto.

Camoriano says State Farm has about 300 adjusters from aroundthe U.S. on the ground in Moore. He says the company also has an“agent buddy system,” used for the first time during 2005'sHurricane Katrina, where agents from around the country volunteerto set up shop and take care of customers. He says 75 State Farmagents have volunteered their time in Moore.

Camoriano notes that the Department of Insurance has set up acommand center in town at the First Baptist Church, and all of thepropety and casualty insurance companies are operating from therein a large parking lot. He says about 500 customers have come justto the State Farm tents, and the company was able to writeadditional living expenses checks and provide temporary lodging andfood.

Farmers' Toohey says he has been in Moore since Tuesday, andnotes that the insurer has two catastrophe buses in the area(normally, he says, the insurer would send one bus to a disasterscene, but sent two to Moore due to the devastation), allowingpeople to file claims, process checks and obtain food and beverageson site. “It's almost like a little village,” he says of the scenearound the two buses.

He says about 1,000 people have come by so far since Tuesday.Most, he surmises, would be Farmers customers, but he notes, “Wedon't ask them for ID or anything if they come by for asandwich.”

He says the insurer has about 300 people on the ground in Moore,including claims adjusters and agents. “Now that we can get intodamaged areas, we're going out and seeking out customers” ratherthan waiting for them to come to Farmers, he notes.

Toohey says he met two people whose houses were destroyed by a1999 tornado that struck Moore, and now they lost their homes againfrom the latest twister. He says when all is said and done,insurers will probably hear a lot of similar stories aroundMoore.

Farmers' agent Don Cox in frontof a damaged house in Moore, Okla. (Credit: Mark Toohey,Farmers)

Camoriano says State Farm has two agents in the area whoseoffices were destroyed. One of them, he says, was trapped underrubble with four members of his staff until they were rescued.

He says one of State Farm's insureds was a teacher who tookstudents into a bathroom as the tornado approached and had themcover their heads with books. All survived the devastation.

Camoriano also says National Association of InsuranceCommissioners CEO Ben Nelson was in the area touring the insurers'command center. Camoriano says he has been to several disasterareas over the years and does not recall seeing an NAIC CEO on sitebefore. “It's good to see,” he says.

He adds that Insurance Commissioner John Doak held a pressconference noting the department's anti-fraud efforts, such asensuring non-registered contractors do not take advantage oftornado victims.

Additionally, Doak noted that Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallinsigned a bill into law authorizing a $45 million disaster-relieffund for impacted areas, Camoriano says.

Furthermore, Doak announced a moratorium on cancellations,non renewals and rate increases in tornado damaged communities.

Eqecat, citing National Weather Service reports, says 16tornadoes touched down on May 18, 29 touched down on May 19 and 31touched down on May 20 May.

Two of the tornadoes that struck south of Oklahoma City, an EF4tornado on May 19 an the EF5 tornado on May 20 that struck Moore, were responsible foran estimated 26 fatalities.

“Advance tornado forecasts and warnings were not sufficient toreduce the loss of life from these events,” Eqecat says. Someexperts, though, credited modern warning systems with at least giving people inthe tornadoes' path a chance to get to safety. Harold Brooks,senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory'sforecast research and development division, found that from 1986 to2004 the amount of lead time between warning issuance and tornadoformation has increased from 5 minutes to 13 minutes or more,allowing people to grab belongings and get to shelter.

In total, tornadoes over the past week struck Kansas, Nebraska,Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Arkansas andIndiana.

Aside from the tornado touchdowns, Eqecat says the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports 76 incidentsof straight winds and 92 hail storms on May 18, 255 wind events and142 hail storms on the 19th, and 218 wind events and 105 hailstorms on the 20th.

Eqecat says tornado activity so far in 2013 has been below thelong-term average, with 342 tornado touchdowns as of May 23 — abouthalf the average over the last 8 years and less than one-third thepace of the record activity years of 2008 and 2011.

Updated with figures from State Farm.